


Tendency

by Skylark



Category: Love Mode
Genre: Caretaking, Domestic Fluff, Haircuts, Lazy Mornings, M/M, Multi, Polyamory Negotiations, Unresolved Emotional Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-18
Updated: 2015-04-18
Packaged: 2018-03-23 10:23:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3764605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skylark/pseuds/Skylark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It's getting a little long," he mutters to himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tendency

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ysse_writes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ysse_writes/gifts).



Kiichi wakes in the morning with his face smashed into the pillows and a hand trailing down his back. 

He doesn't give any indication that he's awake, but the hand pauses anyway. Kiichi smiles into the bedsheets and murmurs, "What time is it?"

"Eleven thirty," a familiar voice replies. Haruomi, then. He blinks a little, and then takes a deeper breath; he can smell breakfast cooking. Tien Li must be the one in the kitchen. 

"Why did you stop?" Kiichi asks, and Haruomi's hand starts moving again. Kiichi feels like purring, bathed in the warm midmorning sunlight and Haruomi's attention. Doctors work long and odd hours, and it's not often that he gets to have a lazy day off like this. He's half tempted to roll over and pull Haruomi on top of him, spend the day in bed like that, but then he hears the distant hiss of something frying.

It would be wrong to put Tien Li's work to waste. Still, he turns his head to look at Haruomi beside him. Without his glasses everything is soft-edged and blurred, but he recognizes a shirtless man when he sees one. A wicked smirk crosses his face.

"Good morning to _me,_ " he says. 

Haruomi doesn't react, a fact that makes Kiichi smile wider. Haruomi has near-perfect patience, but there's an added edge of trust to the way he handles Kiichi's endless teasing—a trust that he doesn't show anyone else. 

Well, almost anyone else. 

"What's for breakfast?" Kiichi asks. 

"Congee," is the reply. Haruomi gestures to the nightstand, where a a delicate curl of steam wafts from his favorite mug. "I've brought your tea." 

Kiichi sits up, stretching. "I'll take it in the kitchen," he says. Haruomi blinks once, and then nods. Kiichi cocks his head. "Does that bother you?"

"No." 

"I always take my tea in bed, don't I?" The added _with you_ is unnecessary. 

Haruomi doesn't respond. He starts to get to his feet, but Kiichi stops him with a hand around his wrist. When Haruomi turns back, Kiichi gives him a pout. 

"You didn't wish me a proper good morning," he chides. 

Haruomi's sigh is faint, but Kiichi always listens for it. With his usual gravity he leans down to press his lips to Kiichi's. "Good morning, Kiichi," he says.

It's not a surprise to either of them when Kiichi throws his arms around Haruomi's shoulders and drags him back into bed. 

_Congee always takes a long time to cook, anyway,_ Kiichi thinks. 

\--

"It's getting a little long," he mutters to himself. 

It's the fourth time he's had to brush his hair out of his eyes since breakfast began. At his voice, both Tien Li and Haruomi look up—Tien Li with confusion, Haruomi with understanding. 

Kiichi looks at Haruomi and says, "Will you take care of it later?" 

"Take care of what?" Tien Li interrupts. 

"Oh, Haruomi's been cutting my hair for years," Kiichi says, smiling. "He's very good at it."

Silence descends upon the table again. Tien Li's expression shifts as he eats, reflecting the path of his thoughts. Kiichi never gets tired of watching it; a face so like Haruomi's, moving through expressions that Haruomi would never make.

"Could I try?" Tien Li says after several minutes.

"You mean cutting my hair?" Kiichi asks. Haruomi tenses beside him, and his expression is still, waiting.

"I've been cutting my own hair since I was a kid," Tien Li says. He pauses to glance at his brother before continuing. "You don't trust me to?"

Kiichi taps a finger against his mouth, making a show of considering. Discreetly, his other hand slides under the table to rest on Haruomi's thigh. His silent question is obvious. Haruomi's answer—his larger hand coming to settle over Kiichi's, thumb running across his wrist—is just as clear.

"Why not?" Kiichi says with a grin. "I'm always up for a change in pace."

\--

 _Uncanny valley,_ Kiichi thinks to himself. He's seen the scene in the mirror dozens of times throughout his life. But it's Tien Li who is standing behind him, not Haruomi, no matter how similar the two of them might look. The verisimilitude is ruined by the worn-down look that Tien Li can't shake: days-old stubble and bags under his eyes, clothes perfumed with smoke.

The two brothers have many similarities, though. They both watch the world around them warily, showing tenderness to a chosen few. They prefer listening to speaking, and their movements are intent and precise. Their voices are similar, too: the same timbre, the same faint accent.

Tien Li clicks the scissors in the air once, testing, and the flash of metal draws Kiichi's gaze. Then his eyes flick past that to Haruomi, who leans against the far wall. Haruomi's expression is as placid as ever, but his arms are folded and his index finger taps a restless rhythm. Kiichi stifles a smile. _Always worrying,_ he thinks.

"Have you ever cut someone _else's_ hair?" Kiichi asks.

"Once or twice," Tien Li says. His hands settle on Kiichi's shoulders and they look at each other in the mirror. "How do you want it done?"

Kiichi hesitates at that, and can't help glancing at Haruomi again. He hasn't had to give instruction in years. Then he grins. "Do what you like," he says.

Tien Li frowns. "Are you sure?"

"If you mess up, Haruomi can always fix it."

Both of them frown at that, and Kiichi closes his eyes, still smiling. "You said you've done it before, right?" he says. "I trust you." When nothing happens, Kiichi cracks one eye open. "Should I _not_ trust you?"

Tien Li bristles at that. 

"I'm going to start."

The hand that runs through Kiichi's hair is slow at first, a little unsure. He takes his time getting a feel for the length and texture of it. He mutters a little, talking himself through his plan.

The light scalp massage is dissolving the tension in Kiichi's muscles. "You can keep doing that, if you want," he says. 

Tien Li huffs, but his answer has an undercurrent of wry promise. "Maybe later." 

The stroking becomes tugging as Tien Li gathers his hair up and snips it to the desired length. The click of the scissors is clean and sharp and close to his ear. Kiichi can't suppress a shiver, not only from the sound but also from the feel of Haruomi's heavy gaze behind them.

"Hold still," Tien Li murmurs. 

Once he begins, Tien Li's movements are sure. The scissors move at a steady pace, working methodically upwards from his nape. Fingers scrape across his scalp, shaking the clipped strands free, and Kiichi makes a pleased noise.

The scissors pause. "You okay?"

"It feels nice," Kiichi murmurs. His voice has taken on a dark, hedonistic undertone. Haruomi shifts behind them before he catches himself and settles back.

Kiichi looks at him after that, holding Haruomi's gaze while his brother continues his work. Haruomi's lips press thin, and Kiichi's eyes soften in response. "Haruomi," he says. "I forgot a comb. Could you bring one from the bedroom?"

Haruomi nods, and his footsteps are silent as he leaves.

Kiichi glances in the mirror again. Tien Li's brow is furrowed, and it's strikingly similar to how Haruomi looks when he's the one cutting Kiichi's hair. "That's a good look on you," he says.

Tien Li looks up, startled. "What?"

"Your concentration," he clarifies. "It's very handsome."

Tien Li blinks, but doesn't blush. Kiichi feels vaguely disappointed, but then Tien Li smiles, a lopsided quirk of his mouth.

"You're not so bad looking yourself," Tien Li says, returning to his work. He cards a hand through Kiichi's hair, a little clumsier than before, and Kiichi chuckles.

Haruomi comes back then, and Tien Li's spine straightens. He takes the comb from Haruomi with a gruff "Thank you."

Haruomi stays close after that, his proximity as comforting as it always is. If Tien Li is rattled by such close obvseration, he doesn't show it. 

The final hairstyle ends up different from what he's used to, of course. Kiichi turns his head this way and that, pausing to allow Tien Li to trim stray hairs.

"Haruomi," he calls. "What do you think?"

Tien Li's hands pause, then pull away. Haruomi steps forward, staring at Kiichi's new hairstyle for several long moments.

"It's well done," he says, nodding. Tien Li's hand settles on Kiichi's shoulder as if he was waiting for Haruomi's approval to do so.

"I like it too," Kiichi says, looking up to give Tien Li an upside-down smile. "It's good to switch things up every now and then. I wonder if Reiji will recognize me?"

Tien Li scoffs at that. "You're his brother," he says. "Of course he'll recognize you."

The room slips into heavy silence. Haruomi and Tien Li look at each other before turning away. Kiichi watches both of them, torn between fondness and exasperation.

"I'm a mess now," he says. "I could use a shower."

"I'll start the water," Haruomi says, but Kiichi shakes his head.

"A shower and some company," he says—half an invitation, half a challenge.

They glance at each other again. "I can't stay long," Tien Li says. "I have a job tonight."

Kiichi reaches for the hand on his shoulder. His fingers slip under the cuff of his sleeve to brush the knob of bone at his wrist. "Stay," he murmurs.

Haruomi gives that quiet sigh again, the one Kiichi loves, the one that says he'll give him anything he wants. A second later, Tien Li echoes it with a sigh of his own.

"You're spoiled," Tien Li grumbles as he helps Kiichi up from the chair.

"Mm," Kiichi agrees, draping one arm around Haruomi's waist and the other around Tien Li's. "But I deserve it, don't you think?"

Haruomi and Tien Li look at each other a final time before Haruomi shrugs. Tien Li chuckles, and neither of them protest further as he leads them to the master bath.

It's an excellent day off indeed, Kiichi thinks.

**Author's Note:**

> I grew up reading Love Mode and being able to write for it was quite a treat. I hope this suited you!


End file.
